Delectable dilemma (+recipes)

My New Year's resolution will be to slim down and tone the body. However, as the abundance of fresh and enticing delights on offer grows and I'm tempted to indulge in them, then I guess it will be exercise every day.
My favourite workouts are spin bike and pump but I'll have to add an extra few hours of walking and, perhaps, zumba to the weekly regime.
It may take willpower to exercise but I find it very easy to succumb to tasty temptations such as fruit pastes. I have become addicted to them, especially the Lowry Peaks range of pastes and fruit splashes from North Canterbury. I've often served fruit pastes on cheese boards but have now discovered entirely different uses for them. Lowry Peaks cranberry fruit paste is excellent melted together with orange juice to make a sauce for duck, turkey or chicken. Golden kumara boiled and mashed is sensational combined with a large spoonful of quince paste. Or take tablespoons of fruit paste and combine with cream cheese, form into balls and roll in chopped pistachio nuts.
For me, pistachio nuts have always been culinary gems because of their emerald-coloured skin.
The pistachio's reputation for climatic extremes has encouraged New Zealand nut growers to experiment in Marlborough and Central Otago, where the long, hot, dry summers and very cold winters of the inland basins resemble the climate of the pistachio's homeland of Central Asia. Pistachios are great as a nibble and add crunch and flavour to cookies (try chocolate chip and pistachio nut), cakes, stuffing, desserts and sweets such as turkish delight.
Avocados are also a must in my cuisine - as a spread on toast, in a salad for lunch, as a starter to dinner or chopped in a fruit salad dessert. Avocados are believed to have health benefits, but I love them for their taste, texture and versatility. And the bright green avocado oil is also a favourite. Excellent for frying or dressings, it is wonderful drizzled over vegetables instead of butter. Or drizzled around a dinner plate as a tasty garnish - together with a little balsamic glaze.
RECIPES
TERRINE WITH PISTACHIOS
Prepare at least one day in advance. Excellent served with a glass of Hunter's Mirumiru (Mirumiru means "bubbles" in Maori).
300g streaky bacon
1 medium onion, diced
25g butter
1tbsp powdered gelatine
2 tbsp water
350g each: chicken livers,
well-flavoured sausage meat, pork schnitzel
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
1/4 cup brandy
1 egg, lightly beaten
70g shelled pistachio nuts
Line a 21cm  x 12cm wide x 7cm deep loaf pan with the bacon rashers, allowing them to hang over the sides so they can be folded over the finished terrine.
Saute the onion in the butter, until softened. Soften the gelatine in water for  five minutes then dissolve in the microwave.
Mince the chicken livers and sausage meat, combining well.
Pound the schnitzel, until thin. Cut into thin strips across the grain.
Season the sausage meat mixture and combine with the onion, gelatine, herbs, brandy, egg and pistachio nuts.
Place a layer in the base of the loaf pan.
Top with strips of schnitzel. Repeat, ending with a layer of the sausage meat mixture.
Fold the bacon over the top. Pat down firmly. Cover tightly with a double sheet of foil.
Preheat the oven to 170C. Place the loaf pan in a roasting pan. Fill to within 1cm of the top with boiling water.
Place in the oven and bake for 2 hours, topping up the water in the pan if necessary.
Remove the terrine from the oven. Place weights on the top to press the terrine down.
Cool then refrigerate for at least 1 day. Slice to serve. Great accompanied by pickles, chutneys and crusty bread. Serves  eight to 10 as a starter.
QUINCE PATE-ROASTED APRICOTS WITH VANILLA SUGAR

6-8 apricots, halved and stoned
4 tbsp Lowry Peaks quince paste
1 1/2  tbsp Heilala vanilla sugar
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place the apricots in a baking pan. Place spoonfuls of the  paste in the centre of each apricot half. Sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the apricots are very soft.
Great served warm or at room temperature with vanilla icecream and or whipped cream. Serves six.
SIMPLY DELICIOUS AVOCADO SALAD
Balsamic glaze is balsamic vinegar that has been reduced. This thick syrup is excellent as a drizzle over vegetable salads or meats.
2 oranges
2 cups wild rocket leaves
2 avocados, halved, stoned and sliced
10 strawberries, halved
2-3tbsp balsamic glaze
Peel the oranges and segment.
Place the rocket on a serving plate. Top with the avocado, orange segments and strawberries.
Drizzle with the balsamic glaze just before serving. Serves four.
CHILLI AVOCADO OIL DRESSING
3 tbsp lime juice
1  tsp honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup Grove chilli-infused avocado oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whisk all the ingredients together and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
Excellent served as a dressing for crisp salads or drizzled over grilled chicken or fish. The dressing also makes an excellent marinade.
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